
By G. Charles. Colorado College.
The pediatric orthopaedist has various levels of contact with the educational system and has to understand the gen- eral milieu of special education purchase 250mg sumycin. In addition order 500 mg sumycin with mastercard, the orthopaedist should have a general understanding of the local special education system in which he is practicing. By nature of the special education system as it is defined in the federal code, there are many areas of frequent conflict that involve the or- thopaedist directly. Separation of Education and Medical Practice Education and medical practice are separate in our society at almost every level, and this separation has led to frequent conflicts in the area of special 5. Therapy, Education, and Other Treatment Modalities 169 education. More specifically, special education law states that the educa- tional system must pay for medical evaluations that are needed to determine children’s educational goals and functions. The school system has to provide adaptive devices that are needed for children to gain an educational experi- ence; however, the educational system does not need to purchase medical treatment required to maximize children’s educational goals. The eye exam- ination is a typical examination that the educational system is required to perform because visual acuity may be a major obstacle to a child’s learning ability. If the eye examination demonstrates that the child needs eyeglasses, the school system has to pay for the glasses if the glasses are interpreted to be adaptive devices. However, if the glasses are interpreted to be medical de- vices, the educational system does not pay. This exact example has been lit- igated in several locations in various courts, and decisions have been handed down in both directions. These types of circumstances have spawned a whole legal subspecialty to help interpret and litigate areas of special education law. What Is Medical Equipment and What Is an Adaptive Device? The definition from the perspective of the educational system of what is ed- ucational and what is medical varies from state to state and even from school district to school district based on many reasons.


Abductor Lengthening Indication Abductor lengthening is indicated for the abduction contracture of a wind- blown deformity or the external rotation abduction contracture associ- ated with the abduction-contracted hip order 500 mg sumycin with mastercard. The incision should be over the midlateral aspect of the femur best 250mg sumycin, ex- tending proximally over the greater trochanter, and then curved very slightly posteriorly (Figure S3. The fascia latae is longitudinally incised, but then a dissection using a transverse incision of especially the posterior half of the fascia latae is performed. The anterior half of the fascia latae, if it continues to be tight, also is incised transversely (Figure S3. The greater trochanter is palpated, and the soft-tissue attachments of the gluteus medius 1 cm proximal to the bony tip of the greater trochanter are incised using electrocautery. These soft-tissue attach- ments extend posteriorly along the posterior border of the femur (Fig- ure S3. The anterior third of the gluteus medius on the anterior aspect of the greater trochanter usually can be left in place because it typically is not contracted in external rotation abduction contractures. The re- lease must be almost completely along the posterior aspect. Going posterior is very important, especially to identify and transect the piriformis tendon and going further inferior to transect the gemelli (Figure S3. Next, if more release is needed, the hip joint capsule is exposed, and if the capsule is very tight limiting internal rotation, an incision in the posterior capsule midway between the acetabulum and the femur can be performed safely (Figure S3. Bleeding points are cauterized, and only the subcutaneous tissue and skin should be closed. This same procedure can be modified for an internal rotation con- tracture, but the incision should be curved slightly anteriorly. In this circumstance, only the anterior third to anterior half of the abductor is removed. If this procedure is being performed in a child who is non- ambulatory, the whole muscle mass is removed to decrease the amount of internal rotator force (Figure S3. In an ambulatory child, the anterior part of the muscle is incised; then, with careful retraction, the fascia underlying the abductor is identi- fied and only the fascia is incised to effect a myofascial lengthening of the anterior half of the abductor muscle (Figure S3. Postoperative Care Immediate active and passive range of motion is started on the first postop- erative day. Parents are instructed to try to keep the child’s hips adducted, or if the release was for internal rotation, to keep the hips externally rotated during sleep at night.